What Is The Advantage Of Linked Files.

[dhovatter]

I have in another post last year asked that the automatic selection of "LINKED" when using the "Save As Part/ Assy External" and the "Insert Part/Assembly" functions be DE-SELECTED and only link when the user selects that option.

It is a pain to remember to de select this each time.

I am curious about how many users use the linking ability. I have always steered clear of any linked files. Any time I have forgotten to de-select the link option it has caused me problems.

I can see some value in some instances of using linked files but this does not seem to me to be an everyday every part necessity.

Also in recent posts it seems that everyone has had some problem connected to linked files with V10.

Can users respond with the rational of linking everything like they seem to, or voice your dislike of the auto link being default.

The other thing I would like to see is a way to "unlink all" when you have 200 parts and assemblies in a file without hunting thru every single piece to fine the pesky link. Maybe there is a way and I am missing it.

 

Dallas

 

[tlehnhaeuser]

Hi Dallas,

I agree that there should be a option to check this on or off as the default. I personally check off the majority of the time.

 

That being said, the link on is vital to companies who need to adhere to strict PDM or PLM processes therefore every part needs to be "tracked" also with users who have migrated form another CAD app in where that is the "normal" way their used to.

 

tom

 

[Guest EricFoy]

I believe the rationale behind having the link option set ON by default is that after inserting the part it is relatively easy to unlink the instance if desired, whereas forgetting to set link on at the time of insertion requires re-insertion of the part as a linked instance, along with re-editing any changes you may have made before realizing that the part wasn't linked.

 

Furthermore, upon saving, IC requires you to verify writing to the linked file, thus giving you the opportunity to stop, unlink, and save your local copy.

 

I would be against changing the way it works, but perhaps it would be nice to have a user-selectable toggle under Tools | Options, or via an additional "never use links" check box at the insert file dialog.

 

I really do like your idea of being able "disconnect all external links." That would be really handy once in a while.

---

Here's another concept: "Package Linked Files with Scene." This would make the entire Scene portable as one file. Once it arrived on the destination machine, upon saving, IC would ask if you want to unpackage the links, and if so, to where... Perhaps file size limitations would make it so that you would have to unpackage upon opening the file, which would still get you the desired capability.

 

This would also be a good tool just for managing all your sub-assembly files, as packaging could come with the option of "remove packaged links from storage." This would be a way of scooping up all your externally linked files and dropping them into a new folder, right where you want them.

 

Just some ideas

[Cary OConnor]

There is a Unlink VB Add-on tool (but I'm not sure how stable it is since it is not a released tool just a sample). IronPro has it as well. Basically you register the dll and turn it on in the add-ins. Then you can see all the links and unlink individually or all. The tool is in the ICAPI samples under VB\VBUnlink.

 

 

By the way.... If you save as on the master assembly to a new folder, it will give you the ability to copy all the linked files to this directory so that you can pack and go.

 

 

Cary

[Guest jkim522093]

As far as I know, IronPro has that sort of utility to unlink all the linked files

at once.

And in order to maintain the data integrity, data is saved in the server, and

multiple designers access to that data with external linked state, I think.

All the parametric CAD has very small assembly file because it has only the

index to the parts which are all externally linked.

 

J.H.